


a guardian without direction and a sun without freedom

by Evilyoyo



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Cassandra Saves Rapunzel from the tower, Cassandra is Bad at Feelings (Disney: Tangled), F/F, Lesbian Cassandra (Disney: Tangled), There are at least ten other fics with this idea, and this one is mine, role swap I guess??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:56:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28662831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilyoyo/pseuds/Evilyoyo
Summary: Was Cassandra a thief? Well technically yes, she did help steal the Lost Princess's Crown. That didn't mean she deserved to be caught up whatever the hell Rapunzel has going on though but fine, it shouldn't be all that hard to take the girl to see some lanterns. Right?ORThe millionth 'Cassandra Saves Rapunzel From The Tower And They Fall In Love' fic
Relationships: Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Bro I love Cassandra so much and I love the idea of her saving Raps from the tower. I couldn't not you know??

When Cassandra was younger she loved to climb high up to the roof of the castle. She liked how the climb made her arms sore from the effort, how she had to practice keeping her balance on the clay tiles and sneaking past the Captain’s guards. But she’d loved the view from here the most. From up here, towering above the rest of the Capital, all of Corona could be seen. 

First, right below her, was the rest of the castle. It was only after her travels that she realized just how squished together the Capital was and the castle most of all. The city had grown on a small island and space, even for its royalty, was at a minimum. Buildings grew tall, not wide. But gold and love could make anything possible and she could see that Queen Arianna’s gardens were still there. Cassandra would sneak out at night to train there with only the moon’s light to guild her without the Captain knowing. 

The massive wall was next, where the guards walked often even if it was mostly for show. It was a boring job and walking the same miles in a big circle got tiring quickly. Only newbies walked the wall and it had always been embarrassing easy to sneak past them. 

After it was the tall stone buildings of the Capital, where the rich and nobles lived, most of them topped with the purple flag of Corona. The small golden suns were like stars from this height, the shinning fabric glittering in the morning light. A few were missing suns and had flags of all different kinds, the mark of visiting diplomats.

From there the building became lower and wood began to be mixed in. There, she knew, was where businesses of all kinds were at. There was a baker down there that made her favorite scones, ones that she hadn’t yet been able to find a replacement for. It had been years now but the gray smokestacks from the blacksmith favored by the Captain were still there where she remembered them. Was he? He had always crafted such great axes. 

Though she couldn’t see them from here, as they were hidden behind the mess of the market, the ships marked the place of the docks. The huge sails looked like clouds on the clear water of the sea around them. Corona was a small kingdom but it was a rich one, filled with gold that seemed to line every inch of the place, and in her travels, she hadn’t yet seen a busier harbor than that one. 

A thin gray line, just barely there from this height, was the massive stone bridge. Cassandra used to practice marching across it. The sight and sound of the Royal Guard during their parades used to make her heart feel full and the only thing better was watching the Captian, in full parade gear, march ahead of his men. It had made her proud and that made all the training she’d did worth it. 

It was still a beautiful sight. Not a cloud in the sky, letting her see all the way to the forest beyond the sea to the rolling hills. There was a light breeze that carried with it a hint of the sea and smoke, not enough to choke her but enough to remind her of home.

She hated it. 

Cassandra’s hatred of the sight must have shown on her face, though she never really tried to hide it. She’d made her dislike of Corona and it’s Capital apparent to everyone involved in this mission well beforehand and most people learned quickly not to test her much when she had this look on her face. 

But then again Rider never _ever_ learned his lesson. 

“What a view huh? Even someone as cold-blooded as you has to appreciate-” 

Deep breath Cassandra. Deep breath. If you snap at him the guards down below will hear the idiot scream when you actually snap his arm. “Shut up and get down there,” she said with a light jab to his ribs. His breath wheezes out of him. What a wimp, she hadn’t even hit him that hard. 

She really couldn’t decide what was worse about this mission. Having to come to the Capital or having to work with Flynn Rider. Somehow the Stabbington Brothers were the bearable ones. They were also idiots, because most people are, who couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag without the other and couldn’t fix anything without trying to smash it but at least they were quite idiots. 

The brothers begin to lower Rider down into the room below slowly, with the care she honestly didn’t think they could have. For a moment she thinks about cutting the rope and letting the guards haul off the stupidest thief in all the seven kingdoms but stops herself. As enjoyable as that would be, and it really would be, she was going to have to wait until he actually got the crown. 

Cassandra hated that he’s actually necessary but she didn’t know a thief that was both an expert at ropes and actually daring enough to do this. 

Thieves were a dime a dozen. Thieves that are willing to steal from the King and Queen of Corona? Less so. Both because of their goodwill towards their citizens and the fact that King Frederic didn’t tread lightly in his punishment of criminals. Stealing from the crown was treason punishable by hanging. Stealing his missing daughter’s crown during the short time it was available to be viewed by the public the day before said missing daughter’s birthday? Hanging would be the best possible outcome. 

“Oh,” she hears Rider’s stupid voice below, “Hay fever?” 

She was going to kill Flynn Rider someday and she was going to fucking enjoy it. 

The plan had been a simple one, they were supposed to head into the city below and then into the woods, meeting up with some of the Baron’s men in a few day’s time. That they were all planning on being the only ones at the meeting, having double-crossed the others, went without saying.

If everything had gone as planned no one would even be looking for them until they were already gone and they wouldn’t have known who had stolen the crown in the first place. The not knowing part was a very very important part of this plan, for her at least. But, of course, Rider had to mess up that plan. That was fine, so long as she didn’t get seen. She’d just double-cross him, and enjoy it all the more, sooner rather than later. 

The late response from below hurt her deep down in a place she really didn’t want to look at. She’d planned this heist with insider knowledge but really? They had pulled Rider through the sunroof before the guards below had even realized what had happened and that was after he’d made himself known. That was the best Corona had to offer? 

Rider’s smirk as he held up the Lost Princess’s crown made her want to punch him but she was well used to that urge and resisted. Instead, she grabbed his shirt and shook him a little, making sure she saw where he put the damn thing. That knowledge was very important. “The entire Royal Guard is going to be after us now you idiot!” 

He bushed her off and took off running, her and the Stabbington brothers close behind. The redheads didn’t even seem to care that the plan had gone to shit. They were the pure unthinking muscle through and through. No doubt they would look forward to bashing any skulls that stepped in front of them and if they were in any other city in the world she would agree. But they weren’t and Cassandra didn’t need any guard to report to their Captain just who they saw in the company of the most famous thieves in the kingdom. 

Fucking Flynn Rider. 

“What’s the point of stealing if no one knows who stole it?” Rider laughed as they ran and jumped across the different roofs. She dreamed of pushing him off but that could come later. 

The bells started ringing behind them, Cassandra picking up the tones easily enough. The Captain really needed to train his men better, the different bell tones were calling for cutting off the port and the bridge but they’d make it out long before then. There would only be a token guard or two on the bridge anyway if there was one at all. This close to the Lantern festival and most guards were needed elsewhere, either checking incoming ships or providing high-profile visitors with security. 

She was aware of that, had planned for it even, but the fact that a group of criminals that just broke into the castle to steal one of the kingdom’s greatest treasures and then ran across this bridge without even being stopped…. Cassandra didn’t know if she was happy that the Captain’s men failed so badly or ashamed. 

“Oh, the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning,” Rider shouted as they made it across.“Gentlemen, this is a very big day. Hell, for you too Dragon Lady!” 

If there was one thing in this entire world she was looking forward to after this mission, besides the obvious parts, it was finally getting rid of Flynn Rider. She couldn’t wait to double-cross him and leave him to rot in a jail cell. 

* * *

Cassandra’s favorite color used to be gold. 

She thinks that if anyone asked her they would have been surprised about that. It wasn’t the color she wore when she had a choice, no, she preferred dark colors for her clothes. Dirt didn’t show as easy and when she was young she’d always been covered in it. Dark clothes meant people would finally stop asking what she was doing, which is what she wanted. She hated that question. No one ever liked her answer and always followed it up with some variation of, ‘Training? But you’re a young lady!’ 

It wasn’t that she was a rich noble who loved their money and power. She didn’t like jewelry, never seeing the need to spend so much money on something useless. Her father never gives her anything like that either. Her birthdays and holidays are filled with weapons she wanted or new boots she’d needed. 

Now though, Cassandra is ashamed of what her answer would have been back then. Because she knew it was stupid. She hadn’t liked gold because it looked good on her or because it was expensive metal and she wanted to show it off. Maybe those would have been better reasons. A reason not born from _feelings._

See, as a kid, a young and dumb kid mind you, she’d loved seeing that golden sun on the Captain’s armor each morning. She loved seeing it shine in the fire late at night when he got home after his duty shifts each night. Gold was the color of safety and protection. Golden suns meant home. 

God, she can’t believe she had been so naive. Corona’s Royal Guard armor wasn’t even that useful. The damn thing was really only a cuirass and a helmet. How fucking brainless to offer no protection for the arms and legs at all. Useless and expensive. The gilded plating, which was placed over the actual useful steel cuirass, wasn’t cheap and in Cassandra’s mind, she could think of a hundred better things to use that money for. The armor was a statement more than anything. That statement was, _‘Ha ha, our King has more money than you.’_

Cassandra doesn’t have a favorite color now anyway, not that anyone would ask. She does have a heavy dislike of both gold and sun imagery though. 

* * *

She knew these woods better than all of them. The Stabbington Brothers may have been from the Capital, a completely different part than herself of course, but they hadn’t spent time out here in the countryside like she had. Learning to ride was one of the first things the Captain had taught her and they often rode in these woods. 

The sound of the horses behind them wasn’t a surprise. Corona’s Royal Guard was known for many things but the quality of their horseflesh was right up there with the golden armor. Their cavalry was some of the best in the world. Surprising really considering Corona’s Capital rested on a small island with little room to spare. But the rolling hills on the mainland were enough and the love of horses was often a passion of the Corona’s royalty. 

They stopped for a moment, catching their breath. She wasn’t wearing her armor because it wasn’t great for sneaking and she’d known that there was a chance of having to run from the guards. That didn’t mean running nonstop for miles didn’t trie her out. 

“No, no no. This is bad, this is very, very bad,” Rider moaned as he grabbed a wanted poster off a tree. They were still close to the road, that would need to change. “ This is really bad,” he held up the poster, “ They just can't get my nose right.” 

“Who cares?” Sideburns grunted as his brother rolled his eyes. 

Whoever they had gotten to do the wanted posters did have Rider’s nose swollen quite a bit. “I can make your nose match that poster just fine Rider but it might hurt a little bit,” Cassandra said with a smirk. 

“Nope I’m all good, but thank you anyway Lady Demon.” 

There was a shout from over the small ridge and for one small moment, Cassandra froze. That had been the Captain’s voice as clear as day. Of course, he would chase the thieves himself. They had stolen the Lost Princess’s crown, why was she surprised? She’d known this was the most likely possibility. 

Beyond her plans….He couldn’t see her yet. Not like this when she no doubt looked a mess. Normally she wouldn’t care. She’d lived her entire life without caring how people saw her, had prided herself on it in fact. But the thought of the Captain seeing her now while she was wearing her worn-out boots and her old oversized tunic filled her with unease. He hadn’t cared when she was young, hadn’t said a word about how she kept chopping off her hair with her daggers, but then he had made it very clear that he did, in fact, care. 

Like many things about the Captain when that thought went through her mind a rage snapped through her just as quickly. It didn’t matter what the Captain thought if he saw her because she wasn’t going to let him. She pulled the hood of her black cloak up over her head and shoved Rider in front of her, the brothers close behind her.   
And thankfully Rider runs straight into what she wanted him to. The rocks here formed a triangle, right off the main path, which is the guards are racing down right this moment. Even with horses, it will take a few minutes for them to come round the path to this spot. She’d planned for every direction but this one made things the easiest. 

She whistles mockingly, just managing to hear Owls very quite wings above them, as she pushesed him in half faked anger. “Nice going,” she snaps with a scowl. “You led us right into a dead in!” 

“All right, okay,” Rider said with a shake of his head, “Give me a boost, and I'll pull you up.” 

“Hell no, Pretty Boy,” she snapped. 

“She’s right, give us the satchel first,” Sideburns demanded. 

The Stabbington Brothers only looked after themselves in the end and Flynn Rider was known for not playing well with others. She’d known they were all going to double-cross one another but she was really hoping to be the first one so she wouldn’t have to deal with this shit. 

“Wha..?,” he said with so much drama she could almost see it dripping from his words, “I just... I can't believe, that after all, we've been together, you don't trust me…Well I believe it from you Cassandra but-”

“Hurry up!” 

With a huff, he handed his bag to the smaller of the Stabbingtion brothers. The speed that they were able to stack together was impressive, Cassandra would give them that. When Rider went to start climbing up though she held out her hand to stop him. “I’ll go first,” she said. 

Flynn Rider was a fool but he was a quick-handed fool. The Stabbingtion Brothers were thugs and she had no doubt that their plan to double-cross her was as simple as trying to bash her brains in. Pretty Boy, however, liked to think he clever. Not just clever but the cleverest person in the room. She could easily guess his plan, he was planning on grabbing his satchel on his climb up and then running for it. 

She could be smooth handed too though. Cassandra watched from above as Rider climbed up and even she had to admit that his work was pretty great. The red-haired man didn’t notice at all that the satchel was gone. Hell, this really wasn’t his worst plan. Rather short-sighted considering the guards were on horseback but it had the beginnings of a sound plan. That’s why she’d started her own betrayal the same way. 

Really she should have taken off the moment that she’d finished her own climb but…. Well, she was a petty woman. 

When he was close to the top, his face just eye level with the edge, he grinned up at her, smugly because he didn’t know that she knew that he had the bag hidden under his tunic. “Care to help a man up?” 

Cassandra smiled, probably the biggest happiest smile she had in four years, as she reached around to her back. She always kept empty hooks and loops around her belt and today she had made sure to leave the one that sat in the dip of her lower back completely clear. If they had seen that there was something there they probably thought it was a dagger. 

She holds up the Lost Princess’s tiara, watching the way the sun hit the gems and how the light splits into a rainbow on the Rider’s shocked face. She didn’t really like jewelry, to begin with, but this thing really seemed over the top with its three huge diamonds and the dozens of small ones. The Baron was going to love it. “ No,” she answers with barely contained glee. “I don’t think I will.” 

As she calmly places her boot on Flynn Rider’s stupid face and pushes him down into the dirt she thinks that this may just be the best moment of her life so far. 

* * *

Cassandra loves animals. 

Animals are smarter than most people. They don’t ask dumb questions about why she wants to be a Royal Guard like everyone else does. Kids and grown-ups alike have whispered behind her back about her bruised knees and homemade swords her entire life. The boys her age leave her alone after she knocks a couple of them on the ground but the girls just keep on whispering, just like the adults. 

She meets Fidella first. She’d spent a lot of time in the stables, her father giving her copper pieces for working a bit here and there. It was grunt work really. Mucking stalls and hauling hey mostly but she’d loved it. If she wasn’t in class, in the times her father made her go, she was often there. Working, yes, but also training. The horse yard was empty more than the gardens and she’d liked to practice her weapons away from others. 

One day one of the horse trainers that worked for the guard had been speaking with her father about the upcoming stock. Fidella was only a year old but she was big, massive even when compared to the other yearlings. She was an Old Corona Black, the seller had told them. Great for farm work but not worth anything to the guard. The trainer told the Captain that she was too big, she wouldn’t ever keep up with the other guard horses, and that she was better used out in a quarry somewhere. 

Cassandra had been almost thirteen then and the yearling out in the field reminded her of herself. Her legs had started growing out and her height jumped seemly overnight. Suddenly she was a scrawny thing with sharp edges for a jaw and shoulders much too wide. Hearing the trainer dismiss her, without even trying, filled her with rage. 

When she told her father about it, telling him that it a waste for a friendly horse to be wasted in the mines or in a quarry, he bought Fidella for her as a birthday gift and got a pure white yearling for himself. 

Owl she’d found four years later. She’d been taking a ride through the woods with Fidella, practicing her shot with her crossbow, when she’d heard his calls. The bird had been nothing more than a chick then and she’d hid him in her room, not wanting her father to find out. He didn’t get a name at first because she didn’t know if the Captain would let her keep him and hadn’t wanted to get attached if she couldn’t. That idea didn’t really work out since it took the Captain weeks to realize that she’d been rising the owl in her room. 

Not that it was hard, he never really spent much time at home. By then so much time had passed she’d come to love the little bird and thankfully he reluctantly let her keep him. 

Her two animal companions had been with her ever since, through thick and thin. Animals are like that though. All you had to do was take care of them and they would do just about anything you tell them to. That didn’t mean it was easy but nothing worth having was. She’s put time, blood, and sweat into training Fidella and Owl. Long days of coaching Fidella over jumps before long nights of running Owl through different commands. It’s taken years but she trusts them more than any person in the world and really who else did she need? 

* * *

Cassandra was running as fast as she could, her legs jumping over roots and rocks without real thought. Her body knew what it was doing and she let it. She needed to get off the main trail immediately but Fidella must have been farther away than she thought. Owl still wasn’t nearby, she hadn’t heard his call since her whistle earlier. He was well trained, as was Fidella, but this wasn’t an easy task that she had given them. 

The guards were starting to catch up, the sound of hoofbeats starting to rumble closer and closer. She didn’t dare look back, only making sure that her hood stayed up. 

“Retrieve that satchel at any cost!” 

She hadn’t heard the Captain that pissed since…. Well, the last time they talked to each other really. The whistle of crossbows shooting made her stomach drop but the Royal Guard missed every shot. The sight of a bolt lodging itself into the bark of a tree next almost made her laugh. 

A spare thought; how would the Captain react if one of those actually hit her?

She pushed that thought down. They were much too close to her now and she jumped off the path, Owl hopefully would be able to lead Fidella to her. From there she managed to lose all the riders but one, jumping through fallen trees and the like. No matter what she did though she couldn’t seem to lose the Captain. 

“We got him now, Maximus!” The Captain’s smug voice made her want to scream. 

Hell, he was riding Max? No fucking wonder she couldn’t lose him. 

Finally, as she was starting to worry this entire mission was going to fail she hears Fidella around the bend. Immediately she whistles twice, a short low tone for Fidella so her horse knows where she is and a long high whistle for Owl telling him to stay up in the sky. A trained Owl would tip off who she was in a heartbeat. 

Another bolt hits only feet away from her and she almost wants to turn around and tell the Captain that maybe he needs to train some more because he’s missing all his shots today. She sees a hanging vine and quickly grabs it, pushing off the ground to gain speed. The rush of air makes her hood fall down and there is nothing she can do about it as she swings besides keep her head down low and hope that the Captain can’t recognize her by her hair alone. 

She lands right alongside Fidella and she quickly grabs hold of the moving horse, who doesn’t stop moving for a moment. They’d trained at this move for years and have used it dozens of times. It sometimes hurts her shoulder or elbow to be jerked so hard but it is well worth it to see the looks on people’s faces when she’s able to swing herself up on a horse that is running full speed. 

When Cassandra realized that her mission had taken her back to the Capital she knew she had to be careful. That meant Fidella had to be careful as well, she was just as known as her. Any of the guards that had been there for longer than four years would recognize her easily. She’d kept her away from the city for just that reason and even then she died her normally brown coat a dark black just in case. 

The dye had been expensive, and Fidella was no child’s pony so she’d needed a lot of it but now she was thankful that she’d done it. The Captain may still recognize her, may put together her short black curls and the massive mare that was trained as a warhorse, but there was less of a chance now. 

Shit shit shit, if the Captain was riding any other horse or if Max had any other rider she’d be able to lose them but together the chances of that happening were running lower and lower. Fidella had stamina on her side but Maximus was faster and even then wouldn’t stop unless ordered too, which the Captain will never do until he got the crown back. 

Another bolt races by her face, the very edge clipping her ear. Her options were limited. Cassandra could feel the way Fidella was just starting to waver and could even hear Maximus starting to gasp for breathe behind her. She needed to end this race before one of the horses gave out. They were headed towards the drop off into a valley now and the way down wouldn’t be an easy one. She’d never gone into that valley either and had no idea what was down there. 

Cassandra made sure she had the crown tied tightly onto her belt. She had Fidella hard stop, hooves only inches away from the steep drop. A quick glance told her that there weren’t any large rocks protruding from the hill face. 

She didn’t hesitate and jumped off Fidella, ignoring Fidella’s loud worried snort, knowing what she needed to do. Instead, Cassandra left her to turn and run along the edge of the without her. 

This may hurt but it was for the mission. 

She jumped.

* * *

Her life so far is split into three parts.

There is Before, where she lived with her birth parents but she can’t remember it. She’d tried to when she was younger but there always seemed to be something stopping her. When she was older she’d stopped trying. There wasn’t anything left for her in the memory of the people that abandoned her. She still wonders sometimes though. Not about her memory, because what’s done is done. But about Them. Does she look like her mother? Were her father’s eyes the same shade? Did she have grandparents out there that despaired over their lost grandchild? 

Then there is the After; The rest of her childhood, it’s start marked by the sight of golden armor. The first thing she really remembers in this world is the weight of the Royal Guard Captain helmet on her head and the feeling of the golden sun of Corona against her cheek. The voice of the man she’d one day call father in her ear as he commanded his men around her house. After is filled with training. It’s her reaching for her dreams while everyone around her tells her how foolish that dream is. Her father says nothing but he does buy her weapons and lets her follow his guards day after day and that’s enough. 

This part of her life started with the ending of her foolish dreams. That was four years ago now and this episode doesn’t yet have a name. It’s simply her Now. Her childhood ended in a heated argument and once again she’d lost everything. There was no home for her anymore or golden armor to take comfort in. Her life was one of danger and never-ending travel with only Fidella and Owl at her side. 

This mission was going to change her life and let her start another part of her life where she’s finally respected, where people finally see her worth. All the things she’s endured these past four years, all the work, all her pain, and all her efforts, all of it will be worth it. She felt for King Frederic and Queen Arianna because losing this crown would no doubt hurt them, Cassandra knew that. They had nothing of their daughter. Nothing but this crown and hope for her return. But she needed it. Maybe one day they, the King, Queen, and the Captain, would understand but they probably wouldn’t. They’ve never needed to start over as she did. 

And well, as much as she hated it…. Rider was right.

Today was a very big day. 

* * *

Her ears are ringing when she finally stops rolling. 

Fidella has left the edge of the slope above her and she can hear her galloping away. For a moment she thinks maybe the Captain followed after her instead but then another bolt hits a rock next to her. 

She stumbles forwards, her cloak somehow still pulled up. Cassandra doesn’t know if the Captain will roll down as she did or if he’ll circle around but she ended to start running immediately. Her mind is a little foggy from the roll but her eyes spot what seems to be a deer trail, heading straight into a vine-covered rock face. 

It’s only when she’s right up on it that she realizes that the vines are actually hiding a small cave and that there was another opening on the other side. Owl hoots high above her, having seen her alone, and she waves him down. “Keep an eye out for me, would you? Warn me if someone comes through here,” she whispers before nuzzling him. He hoots softly and lands upon a nearby tree branch. 

She’s worry about Fidella, of course. But if the Captain didn’t follow her then Cassandra should be able to find her again quickly enough with Owl, her horse was a smart one after all. She was well trained on where she should go if she’d lost her rider. For now Cassandra had to worry on actually losing the Captain. 

Cassandra expected a clearing of some kind on the other side of the cave. She didn’t expect the fairytale-like picture before her. A tower, an old one if she was guessing the style right, resting alone before a beautiful waterfall. There was even a creek around through the small clearing. 

“Oh this is perfect,” she mutters. The tower looks well taken care of, it wasn’t leaning and it wasn’t missing any stones. The closer she gets the more she’s impressed. The tower has to be old, very old. As far as she knew the Kingdom of Corona hadn’t built anything out here in a hundred years or more. Perhaps it was an old scouting tower and been lost to the ages? It seems strange to her to have something like this so well hidden. 

She’d just climb up there and wait out the Royal Guard. With the creek nearby, she’d probably be able to catch a fish or two tonight if Owl didn’t warn her of guards. There isn’t a door at the base of the tower, which isn’t too unusual. It’s common practice to seal of unused guard buildings. That makes it even better really. Any person following her, if they even find this place, will be seen long before they manage to climb up to the window. 

The climb isn’t that bad either, though it was going to be a bitch on the way down. Maybe she could find the door from the inside and try and unblock it, it would at least give her something to do while waiting out. 

The thought passed her mind that there is a possibility that someone is using this tower already. Though really she can’t think of much use for it other than a hideaway. There were pretty far from the Captial by now and there were no villages nearly by that she could think of. A hermit could live here maybe... even again the damn door had been blocked off. Cassandra rolled her eyes at herself. She knew she could be a little paranoid at times and she knew that it had kept her alive this long on the road, but even she knew she was being a little bit absurd. 

The window was open, which made this easier. She hadn’t been looking forward to trying to pry it open. She swung her body though, blinking in the sudden darkness of the tower. 

Then suddenly pain flared at the back of her skull and the darkness quickly changed to complete blackness as the ground seemed to rise up to greet her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel right before meeting Cass: ....Wow... she's so pretty 
> 
> Cassandra right before meeting Raps: I swear to god I'm going to beat the FUCK out of whoever tied me up

Rapunzel was not used to new things. 

She’d never seen anything outside her tower so there were no new sights or smells. Her mother didn’t bring her new foods, or anything else really, all that often. The last new books Mother had given her were well over a year old now. Her paints could maybe count because she had to get them replaced every few months but blue paint is blue paint no matter how rarely gotten. 

Pascal had always been the biggest change, the biggest new thing. An actual friend! Rapunzel didn’t know if people Out There made friends with animals like she had with Pascal but Mother had made it clear that people would think her strange for many, many reasons so what was one more? Pascal was someone to listen to her because Mother never wanted to for long, someone to play with because Mother said she was too childish, and most importantly…. He was something different. Something new. And because of that, she’d hidden her new friend from her mother for years now just from the fear that Pascal would be banned from the tower forever. 

But this…. If Mother heard about this? If Rapunzel had feared her reaction about Pascal the fallout from this would surely be much much worse. 

Because there was a girl in her tower. 

An actual girl! 

…..Who Rapunzel had knocked out with a frying pan. 

But she hadn’t meant to, honestly, she hadn’t. It had just been so shocking! Rapunzel had just been looking outside the tower, downtrodden and depressed after her big plan hadn’t worked out with Mother, and hadn’t realized at first that the person coming through the cave wasn’t actually her mother. 

It was a person, an actual person that she’d never seen before. That was when she started to maybe, just maybe, freak out. A little bit. Her emotions couldn’t seem to pick aside. At one moment she was so, so, so excited. A person! Then the next she was terrified and didn’t know what to do. It was a person! It just so happened that the moment the person climbed inside, well, let’s just say her emotions were somewhere near terrified and frantic with a dash of hysterical-ness mixed in. Thus the pan. 

When she realized that she’d won, that the mysterious new person was knocked out cold, she’d been so proud of herself, after she was done being afraid anyway. And the person turned out to be a girl. _A girl!_

Mother hadn’t warned her about girls or women before. Her stories about the Outside had always featured bandits and men with shape fangs. Nothing about girls with short curly hair and pale skin. Her face had just looked so soft in her unconsciousness, even with the small nick on her ear that must have just stopped bleeding. 

She had a moment of soft wonder just looking at her, her heart skipping a beat as she studied the girl’s face inch by inch….. The moment immediately gave way to body freezing fear and so she hid the girl in the closet. 

Then she’d seen the golden headband thing that the girl had dropped when Rapunzel had hit her. It was nice, nicer than any of the jewelry that Mother owned. It had so many gems too! The pearls alone told her that it was expensive, Mother owned a necklace of them and forbidden her to even touch it. The gems were a mix of diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, and wow the diamonds were big. She’d never really been able to use her geology book before and was honestly a little excited that maybe she’d be able to use the carat chart in the back but then Mother had gotten back. 

And really she should have known Mother wouldn’t listen to her but simply giving up her dream wasn’t something she could do, so she had to ask again. Rapunzel knew that she was strong enough and the Person in her closest proved it! But her mother made it very very clear that she was never just going to believe her. But she needed to do this, needed to see the lights in person and if her mother wouldn’t take her then she’d just find another way to get there. 

Thus she opened the closest as soon as her mother disappeared into the cave below. 

Mother hadn’t warned her about girls but Rapunzel wasn’t completely foolish. Surely if the men Outside were bad that meant the women were too, right? It could have been that Mother just had thought men were worse. People, men and women both, no doubt wanted her hair. She didn’t know why or how this girl had found her but if she was right the golden crown was worth a lot. 

So while she felt bad about it Rapunzel still tied the girl up as best she could, Pascal rolling his eyes at her muttered apologies as she did. There was no rope in the tower so she had to use her hair but it was long enough to handle the task. Plus she was able to control the Girl easier this way. 

As she waited for the girl to wake up, hiding above just in case of, well she didn’t really know what, she studied the person below closely. Having never seen another person before she didn’t know if the girl could be considered beautiful by others or not but to Rapunzel she looked so… different but nice. Her strong jawline and higher cheekbones should have made her look harsh but they didn’t. The dark curls on her head looked closer to Mother’s than her own but the girl’s was cut so short that they seemed more like waves. 

Her clothes were a little odd to her. Rapunzel’s never actually seeing anyone wear pants, having only read about them before. There was a lot of mending on both her tunic and pants, the pants even having a lot of patchwork around the knees. The mending was done well, in her option at least, but the thread used didn’t match the gray tunic. What did that mean? When Rapunzel had to mend Mother’s cloaks she’d always had to match the color and hide the tears as much as possible. Did the girl not care or was it Mother that was different? So many questions… 

She wanted to paint her…. What a shame that Rapunzel had already run out of room. 

* * *

Cassandra had woken in worse positions.

….Right? 

She had no armor on, having stashed it away last night to better sneak into the castle. Instead, she was wearing just a tunic, pants, boots and her cloak. No sword on her either since she hadn’t gotten a new one when she’d left Corona. Because even if the Captain had given it to her it had been crafted with care from Xavier, which is what she tried to remember it for. It was also a finer blade than she could easily replace without sending all of her, admittedly little, money on another one. But Xavier’s craftsmanship would be easy to spot for must guards so it had to stay put. 

Not that she hadn’t been completely weaponless during the break-in. She’d had her full range of daggers on her before being attacked. If they hadn’t searched under her clothes, which they better fucking not have, then she should still have at least a few left. Even if some were harder to get to than others. 

She had no idea who attacked her or their goals. Were they simple hermits that defended their home? If so the attacking on sight wasn’t a great look. Maybe someone had heard of their plan for the crown, Rider no doubt bragged about it at some point like the idiot he was, but they couldn’t have known she’d come this way. 

Who attacked her didn’t matter as much as getting out. Getting out, beating them to a bloody pulp, escaping Corona without the Captain catching her, and then getting the damn crown to the Baron. Everything after that will be a walk in the park. But first, the fact that she was tied up pretty tight. Her hands, waist, and calves were all tied to the chair she was sitting in, she could feel the ropes wrapping around each limb more than once even. Whoever tied her up must have been exceedingly afraid she’d break loose. A valid fear considering how mad she was. 

She finally cracked her eyes open, just enough that she could see the ropes, and almost gasped out loud. Cassandra wasn’t tied down with rope. If she was seeing things right… she was being tied to a chair with hair.

Fucking.  
Golden.  
Hair. 

There were many questions that she could ask at this moment. How could anyone have hair this long? Why would anyone have hair this long? Was this connected to the fact that they were living in a tower in the middle of the woods? Why the hell had they thought that tying Cassandra in hair was a good idea? Hair isn’t really all that hard to break. 

Then she tugged on it. And then tugged a little harder. 

Shit. Was all hair this hard to break? It’s not like she ever sat down and tried to pull apart hair before. If she could get to her dagger she’d be able to cut it but she was tied too tight to reach any of them. The hair was curled around her and the chair but she realized that it didn’t stop here. Instead, it curled on the floor, looping on the furniture, and rose up into the dark rafters. 

Wait, was this hair still connected to someone? 

“Struggling…..struggling is pointless!” said a shadow in the rafters. The golden hair shined enough that even in the dark rafters Cassandra could see that it ended where the voice had come from. The person, a girl if she was guessing right from the pitch, sounded nervous. 

There was the sound of bare feet on wood as the shadow hopped down off the rafters onto the floor. “I know why you're here,” the girl said as she stayed in the shadows. “And I'm not afraid of you.” 

She very much was afraid of her, Cassandra could hear it in her voice easily. The over the top way she was tied up made sense now. Hell she couldn’t even be mad, well, she could be less mad. A young girl living in the woods and a stranger randomly pops through the window? That was completely grounds for self-defense. This girl may be a squatter, considering this tower had to belong to the Royal Guard or at least the crown, but it looked like she’d been here for years. 

The girl stepped forward and inch by inch a young girl took shape. She was young, probably a little younger than Cassandra, but she was beautiful. Her bright green eyes and round face reminded her of the high born ladies that she would see around the castle as a child. Her golden hair shined around her like a magic cloak and her purple dress, while simple, was embroidered with swirls and flowers with extraordinary detail. 

Most importantly, she was clenching a cast iron frying pan in her hands. “Who are you?” The girl demanded. She sounded much more sure of herself now. Cassandra was almost impressed. “ How did you find me?” 

“My name is Cassandra,” she said slowly. She was in the wrong here, if only by a technicality. “And I had no idea there was anyone living in this tower before I climbed it.” 

The girl narrowed her eyes and with two hands held out her pan like she was a child playing at warrior and it was her sword. “Who else knows my location, Cassandra?”   
Welp there went her patience. Never let it be said she had a lot of it. “Look,” she said around clenched teeth. Cassandra started to strain against her bonds, but they didn’t give, “I needed a place to rest, I saw a tower that looked abandoned. I climbed said tower. I didn’t know you were here and will gladly leave you alone if you-” 

Wait. 

She should be able to feel the crown, it had been at the small of her back! Had she dropped it when she climbed up? No she’d made sure to clip it on. Wait the girl! “Listen to me brat, give me back the crown!,” Cassandra snapped at her. And she had felt bad for her? She was just a thief like the others. 

“Rapunzel,” the girl corrected her smugly. “And no. I’ve hidden it in a place where you can’t find it. ” 

“What-why- whatever just give it back! it’s not yours-” 

“Not until you answer my questions,” Rapunzel circled around her holding the pan to her face in a poor threat. “ So, what do you want with my hair hmmm? To cut it? To sell it?” 

This was about the weird golden hair? It didn’t matter, nothing mattered besides getting the crown back. “I don’t want your hair,” she growled. “But yes I would like to cut it if that meant getting the hell out of it! Give me the crown and I’ll be on my way.” 

The pan lowered and Rapunzel, and what a weird name by the way, looked confused that someone didn’t want her, admittedly long and peculiar hair. “You don’t? Not even a little bit?” 

“No!” 

“....Huh.” 

A little lizard, no it was actually a chameleon, quickly hopped down from the girl’s shoulder, across her arm and to the edge of the pan to glare at Cassandra. It glared at her rather harshly too. She glared right back, matching the quiet growl it made through her own clenched teeth. Rapunzel stepped back, the chameleon pointing it’s tail at her in warning. 

Cassandra watched with narrowed eyes as the girl had a whispered conversion with her pet. This Rapunzel girl was young and seemed to be naive from her poor interrogation technique was anything to go by. For the first time, she looked around the tower itself. Every inch of space was taken up by paintings. The walls were covered with birds of all kinds and vines curled and twisted around on the wooden beams. Even the furniture wasn’t safe. There was a mirror with small flowers and the wardrobe had farm animals covering it. 

“Okay, Cassandra,” Rapunzel said with conviction. She turned and wrapped a hand around the locks of hair tied around the chair. “I’m prepared to offer you a deal.” 

“Deal?! You stole-” 

“Look this way please,” the other girl said without pause. She tugged her hair, the chair spinning around quickly. 

This girl was much stronger than Cassandra had thought and apparently had at least some skill in using her hair for things. Rapunzel climbed with ease above the fireplace, another skill she apparently had, to pull back the thick curtains. 

It was another painting, this time of the night sky. It showed Rapunzel with her long golden hair watching the stars. It was only when she looked closely that she realized that it wasn’t stars she was looking at, as the stars were portrayed as small white dots and that the lights were coming over the horizon like a river. The painting made it seem like they were glowing. 

“Do you know what these are?” 

Did this girl never leave her tower? Who didn’t know about the releasing of the lanterns at this point? The festival had become one of the biggest in Corona over the past eighteen years. The King and Queen hadn’t let the memory of their lost daughter fade and so neither had the rest of the kingdom. Everywhere in Corona, from the Capital to the small villages outside it’s walls, people flew lanterns in the Lost Princess’s honor. 

She considered not answering out of spite but… well she needed that crown.“Yes,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Everyone from Corona knows about the lanterns.” 

“Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky with these so called lanterns.” Rapunzel pointed at her with the pan again. “You, Cassandra, will act as my guide. Take me to these lanterns and return me home safely, then I return your crown to you. That is my deal.” 

No. Nope. There is no way in hell that Cassandra was going to do that. Not with all of Corona up in arms about the crown being missing. The Royal Guard would be out in force looking for someone to throw in jail and King Frederic may even be upset enough to do another purge! Plus Rapunzel’s weird hair would make it impossible to just walk into the Capitol without drawing attention. 

Cassandra felt her hand start to clench in anger because she didn’t have time for this nonsense. She didn’t have time to take some backwater girl to see the Lost Princess Festival, she had actual important things to do. “Look lady, the Capital is only a day’s walk from here so take yourself for all I care. Just give me the crown.”

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes as she jumped down from the fireplace. “Something brought you here,” she said as she stepped forward, tugging slowly on her hair. Her voice was fierce and her eyes blazing. It was surprising how powerful those big green eyes could be. “Call it what you will, fate, destiny-” 

“I jumped off a cliff.” 

“-So I have made the decision to trust you-” 

“No one said that was a good idea.” 

Rapunzel was right in front of her now. “-but trust _me_ , when I tell you this.” She gave the hair a sharp jerk. The chair tilted forward and Cassandra feared for a moment that she was going to meet the floor with her face again, when Rapunzel’s arm caught it. 

Cassandra was leaning forward now, the angle making it so she was looking up at the other girl, who was only inches away from her face. Her face set with a glare as she stared her down, though it wasn’t in hate or dislike and if she was honest with herself it made her heart skip a beat. She realized that Rapunzel’s nose and cheeks were dusted with freckles and wow her eyes sure were green- 

When Rapunzel spoke it was firm, not one hint of nerves to be seen. Neither her voice or eyes wavered.“You can tear this tower apart brick by brick if you want too but without my help, you will never find your precious crown.” 

Was there a blush on her cheeks? Cassandra hoped very fiercely that there wasn’t. It took a moment for her to actually understand the words that Rapunzel had almost growled at her. Right, the crown, she reminded herself. She was here for the damn crown and no other reason. 

“I-” she cleared her suddenly dry throat. “I take you to the festival to see the lanterns and you give me the crown?” 

“I promise.” 

“You realize that I could double-cross you pretty easily right?” Cassandra couldn’t help but point out. “You are placing a whole lot of faith on someone you’ve never met before.” 

“Maybe,” Rapunzel’s eyes started to search her own. Whatever she saw she must have agreed with. “But trust has to start somewhere right? I have to at least try to see the lights and I don’t know the way on my own.” 

She needed the crown. Everything she’s done in the past four years depended on her getting that crown to the Baron. Cassandra had stolen from her kingdom and given thieves insider knowledge of the Royal Guard for that moment. Now this girl wanted to make a deal with her? But there was nothing she could do. Sure she could attack Rapunzel the moment she set her loose but what if she was right and she couldn’t find the damn thing? And while the other girl had tied her up as someone that clearly lived here that was well in her rights, wasn’t it? Cassandra was the one breaking in. It wasn’t like she could even argue that the blonde was stealing from her since the crown didn’t belong to her either. She was lucky Rapunzel didn’t try and call the guards on her. 

Could she get her to the festive and back though? She’d worn her hood but her description was probably everywhere by now. The problem of any guard recognizing her was still a problem. Then again… If she was seen without her hood then they probably wouldn’t even think that she was involved with the thieves. She still didn’t want the Captain to see her but she wouldn’t be thrown in jail at the first moment. 

“Fine,” Cassandra sighed. “I’ll take you to see the lanterns.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I low key hate the moment that Eugene sees Rapunzel? It was such a forced moment on her side, I can understand why someone would see Raps and be 'oh wow!' but I just... dislike the way she moved into the light so much for some reason. I guess I feel like the movie was trying too hard to make her pretty. Cassandra is a lesbian tho and that chair tilted and catch hit her much harder than it did Eugene. 
> 
> I'm trying to balance Cass here because on one hand, I think she'd be nicer than Eugene, who tried to talk her out of everything and went out of his way to scare her, but she'd also be meaner because she's not going to just let Rapunzel not know her mom is an asshole etc etc. Right now she's pissed because her plans are fucked but there's also her guilt, over stealing the crown and how in the eyes of the law Raps is actually going easy on her. 
> 
> anyway, I love comments even if I never really get a chance to respond !! So thanks to any and all that leave them!!


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